The Gibberellic Acid-Stimulated Transcript Gene Family in Moso Bamboo: A Genome-Wide Survey and Expression Profiling During Development and Abiotic Stresses

Gibberellic acid-stimulated transcript (GAST) proteins are widely distributed among plant species and are involved in various aspects of plant growth, plant responses to stress, and hormone crosstalk. However, in moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), bioinformatics data and functional information on the GAST family are limited. Here, a total of eight GAST genes were first identified in the whole genome of moso bamboo and then clustered into three groups based on phylogenetic analysis. Each clade is well supported by the conserved intron/exon structures and motifs, suggesting that the members within the same subfamily perform similar functions. A number of development-, hormone-, and stress-related elements are randomly distributed in the promoter sequences of PheGASTs. Tissue expression analysis indicates that most PheGASTs might be associated with moso bamboo flower development and rapid shoot growth. Furthermore, the PheGASTs display phytohormone- and stress-inducible expression patterns in response to various circumstances (abscisic acid, gibberellins, cold, drought, and salinity). Among these, PheGASR1 was assumed to have a distinct regulatory role in rapid shoot growth and abiotic stress responses involving the ABA pathway. Collectively, our results provide extensive insights into the GAST gene family, thereby contributing to the screening of additional candidate genes in moso bamboo.